A Sample of Writings From Around the Web

Take A Note. Lots and Lots of Notes

A sampling of my very long notes list:

• Japanese film Hari-kari
• Couvre hair/ head color
• Rucci Badero and Falcons
• Americas Cup Rugby Tournament 
• cleanunderwearclub.com
• Status of Sean Simon's castle
• Slumlord Millionaire
• Why You Aren't Making It In Comedy And Never Will
• Cite di Catello, Province of Perugia
• Death Sex and Money podcast
• Empty Leg Flights
• Punk Rock Blitzkrieg
• People I Would Want On My Team

I love notes, jotting down those odd little moments of inspiration. A notebook is a butterfly net for ideas. A way to capture those delicate little things, keep them safe yet accessible for later study.  I do all that I can to write down anything that captures my attention, makes me laugh, curious or confused. Unfortunately, our brains don't have an auto save and search function. So, when the moment hits, jump on it. Get out of bed, find a pen and get it down somehow. Write it with a sharpie on the back of your hand if you have to. But capture it like the magical little fairy it is. Because if you don't in that moment, it is almost certainly gone never to come back.

More than taking notes, I love going back over them and being reminded of things I have thought about at various points in time. Looking back at something and saying “You know what, that’s a pretty damn good idea.” Or, “What could that possibly mean?” (I’ll be looking up “Rucci Badero and Falzone” when I’m done writing tonight). Looking at my notes list is looking at a scrapbook of my mind. Odd cut outs and pictures of things that moved me enough to memorialize them for some reason, even if I no longer know why.

So often we think about inspiration as being about the new or the next. Looking back over your notes can reawaken thoughts that have slept dormant on the app, or moleskin, or wherever you keep your precious nuggets. It is a place to visit when you are not feeling especially creative, or motivated. Often times you can find things there you didn't even know you were looking for. I can’t tell you how many time I have rediscovered a long lost frequent flyer number or website password. So take notes. Lots and lots of them, and stock pile those ideas in the storm cellar of your mind.

Yes Please - Fire the Assholes

Life is stressful. So much to manage, so many relationships to attend to. The last thing we need in our lives are more assholes. You know the type; irritating, obnoxious, constantly aggravating those any where near them. They have certain common traits:

• Have an answer or opinion on everything, especially on things they know nothing about. 
• Are Great at playing the "Devil's Advocate" shooting down other peoples ideas without offering up any of their own.
• Doing or saying things just to piss people off.
• Always focused first and foremost on what benefits themselves.
• Thinks that "telling it like it is" at all points and never using tact is an excuse for saying shitty things.

If you manage any kind of team, group, reading circle, whatever, my recommendation to you is to "Fire the Assholes". They may be high performing, they may generate sales, they may be extremely talented, but over the long haul the assholes will always bring the team's performance down. Assholes are de-motivational to those around them. They create a toxic environment where people no longer want to express ideas. While the asshole may be a top performer, the asshole tends to inhibit the other team members from performing at a level they are capable of. 

And there is an odd thing that I have found; the asshole tends to never leave on his or her own. They tend to just be there, day in and day out, bumming everybody out. The long term presence of an asshole in your midst often will lead to the non-assholes leaving, which only ups the asshole's influence. 

When factoring in who to replace or promote, I can’t tell you how much emphasis I put on if someone is or isn't an asshole. It is probably the number 1 or 2 reason I have ever removed somebody form a position. If 2 people are qualified for a job, but one has more assholish tendencies, I’ll always go with the lesser of two assholes. 

Don’t confuse an asshole with being a strong, self confident person who speaks their mind, argues for their ideas and isn't afraid to disagree with others. Those same, non-asshole types, will also argue for other’s ideas, speak up in defense of other people, and will be open to changing their mind when someone else presents a good argument or set of facts/data that create a different picture. These same people are also self aware enough to know that they aren't always right, and willing to consider other points of view. 

So if you need to make changes on your team, start with the assholes. If you are the asshole of your team, well, start that change with you. 

Improv Asylum co-founders Paul D’Amato, Norm Laviolette and Chet Harding 1998

You can’t get hit by it if you don’t get in front of it.

I listen to many people comment about how lucky I am, or how lucky others have been. How it is better to be lucky than good, that some people just have all the luck.

While there is a semblance of truth to those comments, they often ignore the central point to being “Lucky”; you need to go out and put yourself in a position to be lucky. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever been hit by a train without being in front of it.

We opened Improv Asylum 18 years ago in Boston’s North End, arguably Boston’s most famous and most visited neighborhood. The “Little Italy” of Boston, it is the city’s oldest neighborhood and is filled with Italian restaurants, café’s, pastry shops and more. Home to Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, and Jewish and Irish immigrants before that, the North End is a vibrant place where locals and tourists both feel home.

We found our theater space on Hanover Street, the main street that cuts through the heart of the North End. It was a 200 seat theater and a bar below the iconic European Restaurant (now a less than iconic CVS) and miracle of miracles, it was empty. Seems the previous owner of the building had been stealing electricity off of the buildings behind it for the last 20 or so years, and got busted (yes, that element is part of the history and character of the North End as well). We couldn’t have been more lucky; a theater and bar in the heart of the North End, surrounded by 200 plus restaurants and cafes with no other entertainment options nearby, sitting empty. We jumped at the opportunity and the rest is history.

So lucky. But is that accurate? Yes and no. Yes we were lucky to find a space in this neighborhood that was available at just the right time when we were looking. But there is the key; WE WERE LOOKING! We had decided that we wanted to grow from a small show in the basement of the Hard Rock Café (Clarendon Street circa ’97) to an established professional improv comedy theater (which ironically was still a basement).

We also identified the North End as a place we should look, for all the reasons I mentioned. One of the founders, Paul D’Amato, was from the North End and knew of several places we should check out. We hit the street, opened doors, met with various property owners, and low and behold stumbled upon a “For Rent” sign in the door of what would become the home of Imrpov Asylum for nearly two decades and counting.

Lucky? You bet. On the other hand, we put ourselves out there to allow ourselves to be lucky. Want to get lucky? Go jump in front of a train.

Author’s note: Please don’t jump in front of a train. It’s a metaphor.